VarietyPlus®

Description & Analysis

The production of conventional five-cent pieces was cut short in the spring of 1942, as the U. S. Mint began preparations for a new alloy that would reduced the copper content of this coin and eliminate nickel altogether for the duration of World War II.

1942(P) nickels are plentiful in Mint State, but a great many of them reveal worn dies and so-so luster. This issue was not well struck as a rule. The coin illustrated reveals a frequent problem with Jefferson Nickels in that its soft strike failed to smooth the many marks in the planchet. These marks still appear at the highest points of the coin's design, such as Jefferson's jaw. Examples having either 5FS or 6FS are scarce and rare, respectively.

A couple of doubled-die obverse (DDO) varieties have become popular, and these are certified by NGC under its VarietyPlus Service.

GRADE SUMMARY

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Use the scroll bar at the bottom of this box to view a summary of the NGC Price Guide, NGC Census, Auction Prices Realized and NGC Registry Scores for each grade.

The World Coin Price Guide is independently compiled by Krause Publications’ NumisMaster. NGC makes this information available to its website visitors as a free service, but in no way does the information provided represent NGC’s official opinion or policy. For example, varieties listed in the World Coin Price Guide may not necessarily be recognized by NGC. Please contact NGC Customer Service with any questions.